MTL - 29

Perhaps growing up and maturing always come at a cost, and heartbreak is one of those costs.

Tang Yu, sometimes I still want to thank you.

— The Diary of a Little Rich Girl

In Tang Ting’s eyes, Tang Yu had always been liked and admired by women. From childhood to adulthood, she had never seen any girl dare to say anything disrespectful to him, let alone scold him.

Now, was Tang Xin calling her brother a pig head?

Why?!

She stared at Tang Xin in shock, her face full of confusion: “Why...is it a pig head?”

Tang Xin continued to smile sweetly: “Because I just wanted to draw a pig head for him.”

She actually wanted to write the word “scram” next to it, but fearing it would scare off the lamb, she decided against it.

Tang Ting opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Tang Xin continued to lower her head and sign the remaining books, acting as if it had nothing to do with her.

Tang Ting carefully thought about it and figured it might be related to the copyright issue. She knew that Tang Xin’s relationship with her brother was better than a normal superior-subordinate one. After all, Tang Xin had helped chase Ming Zhu, and their alliance was quite strong. But wasn’t this too reckless?

She pointed at the pig head and frowned: “Sugarheart, aren’t you afraid my brother will fire you? He can be very fierce.”

Tang Xin raised her head again, pen resting on her cheek, blinking: “Honestly, I fired him a few days ago. I already mentioned resignation to him.”

“Ah?” Tang Ting was shocked again and somewhat anxious, “Why?”

“I’m going to make a movie. Director Lu invited me to join the screenwriting team.”

“…”

Tang Ting was stunned for a while before hesitantly saying: “It seems right. As the original author, joining the screenplay is a good thing, and the book fans support it. But…” She glanced at the big pig head, “You’re running off with the copyright and quitting your job. Last time, everyone on Weibo pitied Daddy Tang. Now that I think about it, I also feel a bit sorry for my brother. He seems a bit miserable. It feels like you dumped him…”

But clearly not! Buying and selling freely, what’s miserable about that?

Moreover, her brother didn’t like Tang Xin; he liked Ming Zhu!

Tang Xin: “...”

Dumping Tang Yu? Clearly, Tang Yu had rejected her, hadn’t he?

Tang Xin was sure that Tang Ting hadn’t come today to be fleeced but to stab her in the heart. Feeling a bit depressed, she pouted, signed the last book, and slapped it on top of the stack, smiling at Tang Ting: “All signed. Are you really not buying clothes?”

Tang Ting immediately became alert and firmly shook her head: “Not today. I went shopping with Shen Fei a few days ago and bought a lot.”

She knew Tang Xin wanted to fleece her; today, she wouldn’t let her.

Tang Xin leaned against the sofa with little interest: “Alright, if you don’t buy, then you don’t buy.”

Tang Ting casually flipped through the books Tang Xin had just signed and found that every one had normal blessings except for the one big pig head for her brother. She looked at Tang Xin and couldn’t help but ask: “Did you and my brother have a fight?”

Tang Xin forced a smile: “No. He’s the boss, and I’m just a small screenwriter. What could we possibly argue about?”

Tang Ting pointed at the book, somewhat indignant: “Then why did you draw this?”

“You can choose not to give it to him.”

“…”

Tang Ting was momentarily speechless. She couldn’t imagine her brother’s expression when he saw this big pig head.

Tang Xin didn’t want to talk about Tang Yu anymore. Today, the lamb wasn’t fleeced and had come specifically to stab her heart. She stood up, picked up the pile of books, and looked down at her: “Shall I help you put them in the car?”

Was this a dismissal?

Tang Ting puffed up her cheeks, feeling a bit angry.

“Well.”

She humphed inwardly and also picked up a stack of books.

They loaded the books into the trunk. Tang Ting glanced at Tang Xin and said sullenly: “Then I’ll go back. Thank you, Sugarheart.”

Tang Xin smiled brightly: “Alright, welcome to come buy clothes next time.”

Tang Ting: “...”

Tang Xin thought for a moment and added: “Since you’ve helped me promote and bought so many books, I’ll treat you to dinner next time. When Huan has a day off, we’ll go out and have fun together.”

Tang Ting’s eyes lit up, and she happily said: “Sure, sure!”

She had been bored lately.

After seeing Tang Ting off, Tang Xin returned to the shop exasperatedly. Meeting You Huan’s gaze, she sighed: “Today’s lamb couldn’t be fleeced. So boring.” Saying this, she collapsed onto the sofa, looked around, and noticed Juanhua had disappeared somewhere.

You Huan chuckled: “Knowing you want to fleece people, would they voluntarily send themselves over?”

Tang Xin sighed and got up to look for Juanhua.

Finally, she found him curled up lazily sleeping on a cushion in the fitting room.

…

That evening, Tang Yu returned to the Tang family estate after dinner. Walking into the living room, he didn’t see Tang Ting but instead found Zeng Wan sitting there watching a movie. Turning back and seeing him, she complained: “You come home without knowing to return early. We’ve already eaten. Have you eaten?”

Tang Yu twirled his car keys in hand, glanced upstairs, and calmly said: “I worked overtime today and already ate. Where’s Tang Ting?”

“She’s upstairs, fiddling with some lottery,” Zeng Wan shook her head and sighed again, “She’s almost graduated and doesn’t seem to have much to do. I asked her if she wants to join the company after graduation, but she said she hasn’t decided yet. She spends all day playing.”

Lottery?

Tang Yu remembered it was the new book advertisement lottery from Tang Xin. He shoved his hands into his pockets, not particularly concerned about whether Tang Ting worked or not. She could live her whole life without working, spending money, and being happy.

He turned and walked towards the spiral staircase, “I’ll go check.”

Zeng Wan called out to his retreating figure: “Ask her if she wants to join the company after graduation. Give her a position.”

Tang Yu grunted affirmatively and went upstairs.

Tang Ting’s door was half-open. She sat on the carpet hugging a pillow, attentively staring at her computer screen, her delicate brows slightly furrowed as if encountering a problem. Hearing a knock, she quickly raised her head.

Seeing it was Tang Yu, her eyes brightened slightly: “Brother, do you know how to conduct a Weibo lottery?”

Tang Ting’s room was a typical princess-style, with pink curtains and bed sheets. Since growing up, Tang Yu rarely entered her room. He walked in, stood behind her, first glanced at the pile of books on the sofa, then scanned her computer screen, emotionlessly saying: “No idea.”

Tang Ting responded with an “Oh,” somewhat disappointed: “I’ll search on Baidu.”

Tang Yu casually picked up a book from the sofa, flipped through it. The blessings inside were quite ordinary and common. He closed it, looked down at Tang Ting indifferently, asking casually: “Which one is mine?”

“Ah…” Tang Ting paused her mouse-clicking hand, turned around, and looked at the pile of books, somewhat guiltily saying, “You can pick any one.”

The special-signed one was placed at the bottom.

Tang Yu sat on the sofa, placed the book aside, and flipped through another one, repeating: “Which one?”

Tang Ting muttered softly: “I’m afraid you’ll get angry after reading it.”

Tang Yu narrowed his eyes, his gaze becoming sharp. Get angry after reading? Then he must definitely take a look. Without showing any emotions, he continued flipping through each book one by one. Tang Ting bit her lip, crawled up, pulled one from the bottom, and handed it to him, “Here, this one…”

Tang Yu glanced at it, took it, but didn’t open it immediately.

Tang Ting held her breath, watching him.

Tang Yu lounged on the sofa, glanced at her, and under her expectant yet nervous gaze, opened the cover. Upon seeing the big pig head, his face instantly darkened completely, brows tightly knitted, his face stern.

He squinted at the title page, as if trying to stare a hole through that piece of paper.

How terrifying...

Tang Ting shrank her neck. She felt she had never seen her brother’s face look so terrible.

“Brother…”

She cautiously called out.

Tang Yu slammed the book shut, turned his face away, deeply exhaled. His shirt seemed to tighten against his chest, clearly angered. Tang Xin repeatedly called him a pig head.

Both his intelligence and appearance were top-notch. How could he resemble a pig head?

Tang Yu clenched his jaw tightly, glared at Tang Ting, suppressing his anger: “What else did she say?”

Tang Ting swallowed, lowered her head, and softly said: “She said she’s firing you…”

Tang Yu: “...”

He suddenly sneered and continued asking: “Anything else?”

Tang Ting dared not say more, thought for a moment, and tattled: “Nothing else. She kept urging me to buy clothes; she just wanted to fleece me.”

Tang Yu paused, his anger suddenly subsiding: “Did she fleece you?”

“No!” Tang Ting proudly snorted, “I defended strictly! If she fleeces me every time, it makes me seem foolish and rich.”

Tang Yu picked up the book, stood up, casting a shadow over Tang Ting’s head. He glanced at her computer screen displaying the glaring Weibo ID—Rich but Not Stupid.

Probably in Tang Xin’s eyes, Tang Ting was just a rich and silly lamb.

Rarely, he curved his lips slightly, bent down to ruffle Tang Ting’s head, took a step out, and said faintly: “Don’t defend so much. Our family has mines. Even if she fleeces you hundreds of times, we won’t go bankrupt.”

Tang Ting: “...”

She stared at her tall and upright brother’s back, opening her mouth.

Really?

Just moments ago, he was furious enough to tear someone apart, and now he tells her not to guard against Tang Xin and let her fleece her at will?

What does this mean?!

Tang Yu walked to the door, glanced at the book in his hand, and his anger had mostly dissipated.

He said goodbye to Zeng Wan downstairs and prepared to leave.

Zeng Wan called out to him: “Come back for dinner in a few days. Come back early. It’s been a long time since you’ve returned.”

Tang Yu grunted affirmatively, walked to the door, got into the car, leaned back on the driver’s seat, took out his phone, opened Weibo, looked at the forwarded advertisement Tang Ting had posted, hesitated for a moment, and directly clicked to repost.

Placing the phone in the central control box, he drove out of the estate.

Driving along the quiet and elegant villa road, the phone rang as expected.

Tang Yu glanced down, connected via Bluetooth, and rested his hand back on the steering wheel, “What is it?”

On the other end, Tang Ting was staring at the continuously increasing @mentions and comments on Weibo, panicking and asking: “Brother, did your account get hacked? Your Weibo reposted my lottery post, the one for the reissue pre-sale of Sugarheart’s book! Now many people are reposting… and many are asking who I am?”

“No hacking.”

Tang Ting was shocked, her eyes widening: “…Ah?”

Tang Yu’s hand rested on the steering wheel, nonchalantly looking ahead: “I reposted it.”

“…Why?”

“I owe her.”

“…” Tang Ting fell silent, unable to resist her curiosity, “What exactly do you owe her?”

She sold the copyright to Lu Zhixing, slapped Shiguang Pictures in the face on Weibo, and now Tang Yu is advertising her book? Tang Ting couldn’t understand—what exactly did her brother owe Tang Xin?

Tang Yu coldly said: “Nothing important. Kids shouldn’t ask. Hanging up.”

Tang Ting: “...”

Hateful! If you don’t want to say, fine! She’s 22 years old, not a kid!